OSHA’s Low Fines Won’t Protect Workers from Virus, AFL-CIO Says

Federal enforcement efforts to protect workers from coronavirus infection are insufficient to deter employers from taking actions that endanger workplace safety, AFL-CIO officials said as they released an annual report detailing pre-virus employment fatalities.

When the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations related to the pandemic, the fines and severity of the violations have been too low, Rebecca Reindel, the AFL-CIO’s director of safety and health, said.

“The current citations that have been issued under Covid are not going to deter other employers,” Reindel said, as the report was unveiled Tuesday.

“OSHA should be issuing citations on ...